Dragon Con Announces Music Lineup, Plans Streaming Membership Option

Marquis of Vaudeville, Valentine Wolfe, and Jess-O-Lantern, all known for appearances at steampunk and goth events, will take the stage at this year’s Dragon Con, set for Labor Day Weekend in Atlanta. They’ll be joined by The Cybertronic Spree, a rock band inspired by the Transformers movies. Convention organizers announced the musical lineup on Tuesday.

Dragon Con is one of the largest geek culture conventions in the U.S., drawing more than 80,000 attendees in past years. However, Dragon Con media engagement director Dan Carroll told Atlanta’s local NPR affiliate that he anticipates a much smaller turnout in 2021 due to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

The outbreak prompted cancellation of last year’s in-person Dragon Con, and the organizers hosted a virtual event in its place. This year they’re planning online programming to accompany the in-person convention. Streaming memberships will cost $10.

This year’s program

Marquis of Vaudeville, a band from Dallas, describes its sound as “progressive, carnival-esque punk cabaret.” Valentine Wolfe, a duo from Greenville, South Carolina, has described its music as “Victorian chamber metal.” Jess-O-Lantern is a solo artist from New York City who describes her sound as “acoustic horror punk met with a cabaret in a graveyard.” All three have performed at past Dragon Cons.

Musical performances are just part of the program, which features multiple tracks of panels and other activities geared toward a wide swath of fandoms. The Alternate & Historical Fiction track is home to most of the steampunk programming, and organizers of that track say they’ll post information about the schedule in August.

Attendees can also look forward to an art show, multiple costume contests, and the annual Dragon Con Parade in downtown Atlanta. Carroll cautioned that plans for the latter could change due to the pandemic, and the organizers are not yet accepting parade applications.

Celebrity guests

Dragon Con previously revealed this year’s roster of celebrity guests, including numerous cast members from Battlestar Galactica: Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, and Michael Trucco. Other stars slated to appear include Zachary Levi, Felicia Day, Ross Marquand, Mark Pellegrino, Garrett Wang, and Eddie McClintock. McClintock starred in Warehouse 13, a Syfy series that occasionally took a steampunk turn.

Author guests include Kevin J. Anderson, Patricia L. Briggs, Sherrilyn McQueen, John Scalzi, Michael Stackpole, and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. Scalzi will be the Literary Guest of Honor.

Anderson has penned several steampunk novels, including Captain Nemo: The Fantastic History of a Dark Genius,, and the novelization of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. He also collaborated with Neil Peart of Rush on Clockwork Angels, a novel based on the rock band’s final studio album.

COVID precautions

The organizers caution that they’re still keeping an eye on COVID-related developments. “We are going to be practicing all the safety guidelines that we have compiled,” Carroll said, adding that the organizers will provide a “playbook” specifying the guidelines 30 days before the event. They’re encouraging attendees to “get vaccinated when you can.”

If all goes as planned, the convention will take place Sept. 2-6 with five downtown Atlanta hotels serving as venues. See the website and Facebook page for updates. Also check out our Dragon Con news hub.

Update: Since the original announcement, Dragon Con organizers have added a host of other performers, including Aurelio Voltaire, Frenchy and the Punk, V Is For Villains, The Tomb Tones, The Gothsicles, HyperSpace, and The Doubleclicks.